Dated: 12 January 2010

Claim To The Michelin Throne

A doctor named Jean-Phillippe Rouchon has, according to the London Telegraph, recently come out with the claim that he is a direct descendant of Andre Michelin – the co-founder of the Michelin tyre company. Along with this revelation the French osteopath has argued that he deserves a share of the Michelin family fortune, which is estimated to be around £1 billion.

The claim stems from the fact that Rouchon’s alleged father – Patrice Michelin – is the grandson of Andre Michelin.

The London telegraph reported that Rouchon, in an attempt to prove that he has the right to “inherit” a share of the family’s wealth, has provided a French court “with a blood test from 1969, a document proving that his alleged father provided his mother with subsistence for her child, and a letter Mr Michelin sent his lawyer saying he had ‘given’ Mr Rouchon’s mother a ‘superb baby’.”

When questioned on the matter, a lawyer representing the Michelin family only responded by saying: “This is a family matter”.